Black

Black is a strong indicator of authority and power, stability and strength. It’s also a somber color sometimes associated with menace or evil. Black is a serious color that evokes strong emotions. You can overwhelm people with too much black or you can seem very sophisticated, intelligent and professional.

White

It usually represents purity, innocence, cleanliness and safety. It is also used to project the absence of color, or neutrality. It is a compression of all the colors in the color spectrum. In marketing, it's commonly used to create space and sophistication. On the negative side, it can be empty and unfriendly.

Gray

Gray is the neutral color.  Too much gray leads to feeling mostly nothing; but a bit of gray will add that rock solid feeling to your product. Light grays are often used as a variation of white, and dark greys are often used as a variation of black. Depending on the shade of grey, the darker shades are associated with old age, death, taxes, and depression. On the other hand, silver can be glamorous, high tech, sleek and modern.

Red

If you want to draw attention, use red. It is often where the eye looks first. Red is the color of energy. It’s associated with movement and excitement. Using red in design will make your company more noticeable. Red is not a good color to over use but using a spot of red in just the right place is smart in some cases. It's also associated with love and passion. It can have an overwhelming effect if it's used too much; brighter versions are more energetic, darker ones are powerful and elegant.

Blue

Much of the world is blue.  Blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming; but that isn’t true of all shades of blue. Some shades can send a cold and uncaring message. People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused. Bright blues can be energizing and refreshing. Dark blues are excellent for corporate sites or designs where you want to send a message of strength and reliability.

Green

The color represents new beginnings, growth, nature, and money. It is very pleasing to the senses, mostly associated with wealth. It is also a color for good luck, generosity and fertility. Green can have a balancing and harmonizing effect, and is very stable. It’s appropriate for designs related to wealth, stability, renewal, and nature. Green is thought to relieve stress. It's definitely a fun color to play with.

Yellow

Cheerful yellow is often associated with laughter, happiness and good times. It is the color associated with optimism but be careful with yellow, when intense, it is the color of flames and tempers flare more around that color too. It has the power to bring out some creative thoughts. Yellow can be quickly overpowering if over-used, but used sparingly in the just the right place it can be an effective tool in marketing since it draws notice on advertisement. Dark yellows and gold-hued yellows can sometimes look antique and be used in designs where a sense of permanence is desired.

Orange

It is considered an energetic color. Orange calls to mind feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and warmth. It commands attention without being as overpowering as red. It is also associated with ambition. There is nothing even remotely calm associated with this color.

Purple

Purple is the color of creativity and imagination. It is also associated with wealth, prosperity, rich sophistication. In marketing, it represents wealth and luxury. Lighter shades of purple are used for calming, romance environments. Since purple does not often occur in nature, it can sometimes appear as exotic or artificial.

Brown

This color is most associated with reliability, stability, and friendship. It is often described as natural, down-to-earth, and conventional, but brown can also be sophisticated. Darker shades of browns are often used for backgrounds. It helps bring a feeling of warmth and wholesomeness to designs. 

Sandra Marino

Website Designer

Sandra Marino is a member of the Yo!Dog Marketing Web Development Team. As a Website Designer, she is responsible for turning client requests and notes into exceptional websites using today's standards. In her role, she leads clients through a process of discovery, analysis and education on website design.

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